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note: NOT ALL GAMES HAVE TO HAVE COME OUT IN 2018. IT’S WHAT YOU PLAYED IN THIS YEAR.

These are the best games we’ve played this year. See if you agree!

Oliver Barnfield:

My pick would have to be Ristar, from 1995, or Hollow Knight, which came out in 2017 but which I only got in 2018. Ristar is an older Sega platformer with dazzling colors and innovative gameplay. The game is frequently beautiful, in a way not many Sega games are. Ristar provided a fun and simple escape, and while it was short, its mix of puzzles and platforming hit the sweet spot for me. Hollow Knight was a game I haven’t gotten far in, but nonetheless, I’m entranced by its charm and mystery. The cryptic feel and excellent sprite work immersed me in its world, and I have to see it might be one of the few Metroidvania games that capture the feeling and intrigue of Super Metroid without straight up copying it wholesale. In addition, it has an excellent, piano-driven soundtrack, breaking the now cliche 8-bit music style that these type of games frequently have. They are both games that seem simple but are in fact layered and vast in their scope. I’ve gone on a bit of a platformer/Metroidvania kick this year, as you can tell, and this has been very relaxing to me, as there’s something warm and cozy about the genre to me. Last 2 years I played a lot of RPG’s, specifically Earthbound, and after spending so much time on that complicated and huge game, it’s been nice to cool down. Another game I played was Tetris, actually. Not sure why I just played it a lot. It’s one of those few games that’s just timeless.

Andrew Watson:

Actually, I had a lot of trouble deciding this. I played a lot of good games this year. My top 3 being

Detroit: Become Human

A Hat In Time

Just Cause 3

I saw DBH sometime during the summer, and It was amazing. Most games have robots become humans as “Unworthy” BUT… In this universe, it shows the other side of the spectrum, as androids are used as slaves, and they gain human emotions and realize that they have no meaning in humans eyes. I have never seen a game do that before. A universe that pictures the humans as the enemy.

A Hat In Time Is Probably one of the cutest collection games I have ever played. It got me so immersed in the story, that when I had a chance to buy DLC, I didn’t want to because it would “Disturb the storyline.” truly a great game. The visuals, the idea, the voice acting, the worlds, EVERYTHING.

Just Cause 3 — you can have the entire game mechanics assumed through the name. You are a rebel named RICO RODRIGUEZ, trying to free the country of manea from the evil clutches of DI RAVELLO. And how do you do that? YOU BLOW UP STUFF, TEAR DOWN STATUES, BURN DOWN BASES, and MUCH, MUCH MORE. Really a good way to get your anger out. But anyway, the voice acting is good, first game I ever played taking place in a Latino setting. The destruction I LOVE! Especially the way the character just says stuff like “OOPS! My hand slipped!” Or, when you blow up a tank or something, “TANKS for playing!” Those one liners sort of add something.

Colin Johnson:

Millions upon millions of video games are out there. Some on the console, some on PC. Some on a handheld, some on TV. Some good, some bad. Out of all the games I’ve played this year, only one could be chosen for this spot; The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (LozBoTW).

Yes, of course, it came out in 2017, but I never really played it until 2018. It’s such an easy game to pick up, yet hard to learn. There’s so much to do, and there are many distractions. There are good and bad things with this game, so I will talk about the bad first, then sweeten it up with the good.

The story is decent, at best. Of course, you’ve got the classic ‘Zelda is trapped by Ganon’ cliche, but the things added on to that aren’t very interesting. They did some stuff with the Divine Beasts, and that’s all I remember. All they were good for was getting some cool buffs in the game. Also weapon breaks. I don’t mind the concept on its own, but I wish the durability was higher, or you could see how much damage it can deal out until breaking(or both). Finally, I wish that there were less korok seeds and that the puzzles were more unique, because BOY, does it get boring shooting targets over and over.

Other than those three things(and a few nitpicks)this game is beautiful. Literally! Even in handheld mode, this games graphics are gorgeous. And you can climb on almost anything too, making exploration a big factor in this game. While they’re not the most creative bosses, the Phantom Ganons are decently challenging, each taking me one or two fights ending off with one half of a heart (except Thunderblight, that took me 50-65 tries, and then my sister exited out of the game without saving, and THEN…).

Overall, LoZBoTW is a fantastic game, and I wish I could talk more about it. I spent three months only playing this game, and I still haven’t 100% completed it. It’s a large game, and with DLC added on to it (although let’s be honest, it wasn’t that good, was it?) this may be one of the longest games to 100% in Nintendo history. I give it 8.8/10 stars.

Baker Tuthill:

I don’t have any new console or anything: I have a PS3 and an old Wii (I know, I know). As a result, I didn’t play many new games this year. However, I did look into some old classic games, especially from Sega, and those were good. I also completed Skyward Sword near the beginning of this year, but you know from my article that that one was really my favorite. Instead, I think it’s nice to focus on some older games.

For one, Star Fox 64. That game is still fun today, and with Starlink: Battle for Atlas out, it’s nice to go back a bit and play the older game. In Starlink, they even reference Starfox 64 (“Do a barrel roll!”) and the games share the same animal-pilot cast.

With the spirit of Smash Bros in the air as Ultimate was about to come out, I went back to Brawl. I was reminded of why I used to love the game, and I think that it was a little unfair Brawl got so much hate. Anyway, I liked it.

With even older games in mind, Sega has many classics. Ristar, Dynamite Headdy, Beyond Oasis, and Bonanza Bros were favorites of mine this year. I gotta say, I understand the Sonic fans, but I’m not really a fan myself. Plus, I feel like Sega has a few hidden gems but mostly mediocre games. And lots, and lots, and lots of bad ones. Whoopie! Everybody’s favorite Sonic game, Sonic 3D Blast! Based on other sonic characters with no personality from a previous, also obscure game called Flicky, this game will be really good! And it’s in 3D! No. If you want to see what I mean, play the game on an emulator or watch someone do so. It’s so bad.

Portal 2. I have no idea what to say about it. If you’re expecting to finish this game quick and be done, you’re wrong. And Glados… man. She’s so creepy. I would say I didn’t expect the Wheatley thing, but unfortunately, my friends spoiled it for me.

So that, in short, is most of what I played this year. Last year I played mostly a few of the same games, but this year, I played a bunch of different games. That’s mostly because I didn’t really get many new games this year. It was nice, though, to revisit the classics.

Evan Tucker:

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker

While not the most played game, or most favorite of this year (Most of my more played games consist of ones that many readers have been talked about to death) I still revisited an old game out of curiosity. While being a spin-off of an obscure Mario character that honestly felt unneeded, Captain Toad is one Mario game like no other. They take preexisting Mario assists (mostly from Super Mario 3D World) and put a fun puzzle aspect to flip them on their heads.

Plot: Captain Toad and his companion Toadette are off treasure hunting like the gold seekers they are, when a new bird witch by the name of Wingo steals Toadette while she mistakes her necklace for a shiny star! Captain Toad ventures off to find her, all while doing what he does best: treasure hunting. For those who don’t know, I love treasure games, with every valuable item piling up in your mountains of hard-claimed riches. Treasures are hidden anywhere, either it is secret golden mushrooms or pesky diamonds, all while gathering the best treasure of all… Stars.

Design: You know what they say about Captain toad: “He may move slow, he can’t jump high, but this Kong’s one h*ll of a guy!” Why would dear old Captain Toad dare to jump with all of his treasure on his back? Because of this, easy enemies like goombas now become a large threat, as the most abundant way of gaining height is slopes and pipes. Even easy obstacle like the touch-platforms in 3D World now must have careful thought to maneuver through them, opposed to a quick jump. Because of this, the levels are a small cube leaving more time for creative thinking for every environment. And let me tell you: I find some of the level design better than in regular Mario game. The puzzles are designed with so much care that every time I play the level I need to rethink the scenario, adding a replayability I don’t think other Mario games delivered so well. The small environment sets a clear objective, which is great for a puzzle game like this so you can plan ahead your route to the star.

Levels:Just because many of the intractable sprites are from 3D World, doesn’t make the game any more repetitive. The assets are taken with a whole new light and way to pass them, all while still using the “Show not tell” method we all know Nintendo for. But something’s different in this game… Because a new asset in a level isn’t always scrapped in the one following. While being a recent game, Nintendo still tried to go a little minimalism with the fun stages. Speaking of fun stages, the boss fights are handled with care, with instead of an angry Koopa trying to take you down, most boss fights consist of the next big baddy: Draggadon, the beast that lives in a forgotten volcano.

I love this game, and to any Nintendo fans who want a more perplexing challenge, this game is for you. Also, I really like Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight.